1. Field of the Invention
This invention is directed to a guide for use in accomplishing the accurate and speedy, as well as economical, laying of shingles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The process of applying roofing or siding shingles to a building is an arduous task. Roofers are required to work on steep surfaces, to assume uncomfortable positions in doing so and to bear the discomforts of the weather in the process. Moreover, even apart from these factors, the accurate installation of shingles is in itself a difficult job, which requires that the courses of shingles be regularly positioned to provide a neat and uniform exterior appearance for the building. The failure to properly position the shingles can eventually lead to an inadequate moisture and weather resistance in the roof and result in leaks or cracks therein.
The job of properly laying shingles is still further complicated in the case of strip roofing shingles of the variety requiring a rather intricate layup pattern. In applying this type of shingles, much reliance has been placed in the past on the skill and accuracy of the roofer in following rather complex layup pattern procedures, usually unique to the particular shingle design at issue. The roofer would be required to go through a difficult and time consuming sequence of relatively complex measurements to establish the proper layup pattern. There is definitely a need for a simple guide to relieve the roofing applicator of this burdensome process.
There have been numerous devices and means utilized with the object of simplifying and speeding up the application of shingles, slate, tiles, shakes and the like on surfaces. One method involves the application of chalk lines to the roof or exterior wall to provide regular horizontal and vertical reference lines for use in attaching the shingles. This process is a time-consuming one and would involve very detailed measurements for laying strip shingles having a complex pattern. In another method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,668,269, the intersecting guide lines are previously imprinted on a sheeting-cover of felt or like material and the thus formed pattern-chart is then placed on the roof deck to guide the shingle placement. The printing of this type of cover sheet is itself a troublesome process and a great deal of care must be taken to accurately position it on the roof deck, whether it consists of one large preprinted sheet or, more likely, a plurality of such sheets.
Many gages or jigs have been devised to simplify the shingling process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,762,130 discloses a gage having an upper edge to position an inner layer of shingles or shakes and an abutment below the upper edge to position an outer layer of said shingles or shakes. U.S. Pat. No. 2,887,781 shows an aligning jig which consists of one plate superimposed on another plate and adjustable thereon, said superimposed plate being adapted for positioning and holding a row of shingles to be laid on a roof. Shingle alignment devices requiring a number of cooperatively working parts are further disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,056,889 and 4,110,911. While each of these prior art jigs has helped to simplify and speed up the shingling process, there still remains a need for an inexpensive alignment guide which is easy to use and will ensure the proper positioning of the shingles on the building surface. It would be especially desirable for the shingling device to have a simple and inexpensive design so that a home or non-professional installer can use it without the need for special training or equipment.